On November 8 in Lviv, players of the Ukrainian national amputee football team visited the Superhumans center and met with veterans who are currently undergoing rehabilitation there. The visit took place during a training camp ahead of the WAFF 2026 World Championship.

Yuriy Haponchuk and Yaroslav Kachmar once underwent rehabilitation at Superhumans, while Mykola Gatyla had prosthetic work done there. Now they have come here as members of the national team. The topic of war is personal for this team: 9 out of 15 players in the World Championship squad are veterans of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.

The meeting was warm and lively. Players shared how they got into amputee football, where they started, and their first time on the field with crutches. Veterans asked about players' journeys and the game itself: what are the rules in amputee football, what size is the field, who can play on the pitch and who can be a goalkeeper.

Then the participants watched part of Ukraine's match against the USA in the Amp Futbol Cup 2026 in Warsaw, where the Ukrainian team secured second place, as well as highlights from national championship matches. Soon enough, veterans were following the game, discussing episodes and even pointing out fouls.

As a reminder of the meeting, the team gifted Superhumans center a signed team jersey.

Thank you to the Superhumans center team for their hospitality and the opportunity to have this meeting. Also for daily work that helps defenders and defenders return to active life, including sports.

WAFF 2026 World Championship

The World Championship of amputee football will take place from November 13 to 22 in San Juan de los Lagos (Mexico). Twenty-four national teams will compete for the title. Ukraine is in Group C.

Matches of the national team in the group stage (Kyiv time):

• November 15, 00:00 — Japan — Ukraine
• November 15, 20:00 — Ukraine — Brazil
• November 17, 01:30 — Germany — Ukraine

All matches of the Ukrainian national team will be shown on the YouTube channel of the UAF and media service MEGOGO.

*Amputee football is an adapted form of football for people with amputation or impairment of the lower limb. On the field, there are seven players – six outfield and one goalkeeper. Outfield players must have an amputation or impairment of a lower limb, while goalkeepers must have an upper limb amputation or impairment. Outfield players move on crutches without prostheses, while goalkeepers play without crutches. A match consists of two halves of 20 minutes each with a 10-minute break and is played on a pitch measuring 60x40 meters according to adapted rules designed for player safety. Over 100,000 people in Ukraine live with limb amputations. Amputee football helps them return to an active life, engage in sports, and become part of a community.

*The "League of the Strong" is a national program for developing adaptive football in Ukraine by the Ukrainian Football Association, aimed at promoting amputee football and helping people with limb amputation or impairment return to an active life through sports. In two years, the project has created amputee football centers in 18 cities across Ukraine and united over 500 players into 21 teams. In 2025, UAF held the first national championship of amputee football in Ukrainian history. The "League of the Strong" was awarded the UEFA FootbALL Award in the category of National Association in 2025, and became a winner of the UEFA Grassroots Awards 2025/26 in the Best Disability Initiative category.

*The UAF Foundation is a charitable foundation established by the Ukrainian Football Association that implements social projects using the unifying power of football for positive change in society. The main areas of activity of the Foundation include adaptive football, mass children's football, women's football, and mental and physical rehabilitation projects through football.